merrill



MEAN!) LAMPS.

Rufus 3,mERmLL PATENTEDMJN 1.7 1871 w Nw m w 'Tofall whom it may concern:

I and-running down or dripping from' the extetube or cylinder` over which the removable part of the burner lits.

' and drops therefrom upon the .tableor other place upon which the lamps rest; and inv lampto check or entirely stop the interior draft.

j er is applied to the wick-tubes the exterior tube der. It isvery-necessary that theA inner sleeve UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

RTTFTS S. MERRILL, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO H IMSELF, WM. B. MERRILL, AND JOSHUA MERRILL, OF SAME PLAGE.

vlaneaovelvlenv in LAMPS.-

Speeiticetien ferming part of LettersY Patent No. 1,111072,(dated.` January 17, 1371- Beit known that I, Burns S. MERRILL, of Boston, in the county of Sutlolk and State ot' Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lamps, of which the following is a specilication.

My invention relates to Argand lamps.'` and burners, and its principal objects arel First. Topreventthe oil from gatheringupon rior tube of the' burnerthatis to say, the outer In student-lamps, so called, this isa serious disadvantage, for the oil runs down the exterior 'ot'- the burner-tube burners fa class siinlar to that for which Letters Patent were issuedtojMurray and Howland on-the 21st of January, 1868, the'oil riluning down the exterior tube will gather in the lower part of the burner in Vsuch quantity as Second. To insure the proper adjustment of the removable portion ot' the burner upon the burner and wick raising tubes itis well known that the removable part of the burner'is` pro vided with two .cylinders or tubes, the one placed within the other and joined together at their tops. When the removable pa rt of burir ts between the two sleeves or cylinders, and thc 'lugs on the inner or Wiclvraising tube tit in notches cut inthe inner sleeve or cylin' should thus engage with the lugs, not only e'ect the raising ot' the wigk, but also to brin g1 the removable part of the burner and the chii'n. ney which it carries into such position with respect to the Wick asto insure proper combustion. It ot'ten happens, however, that', through either carelessness or ignorance, the person4 titting the removable part of the burner to the lamp allows the inner sleeve torest on top of, instead of fitting down'around, thelugs on the wick-raising tube, thus throwing all the parts. out ot' proper adjustment `and causing an insufficient light to be produced.- p

The manner in which these` objects are effected can best be explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 isa vertical central section' of alam p provided withwhat is commonly known as a Howland burner.7 Fig. 2 is a vertical central section of that portion of a student` lamp to which my. invention relates. Fig.3 is' a like section, on an enlargedseale, of the removable portion ot the burner. Fig. 4 is ayiew of the inner notched sleeve dctachedfrom theburner.

To accomplish the first object I'have in view Iv place around-the exterior burner-tube, d, at a suitable distance below its top, a trough or annular cup-like flange, h, at or near the bottom of which a hole, c, is cutin the tube afor the purpose of permitting the return-to the interior of the tube et' the 'oilwhich may gather in the trou gh. The appearance ot oil upon the exterior ot' the tuhe a is mainly due to thetollowing cause: The top of the tube a, whenithe removable part or' the burner is applied .to theA lamp, tits between'the two sleeves? dig. 3,-,- .and as there is mure or less oil within the tube the inner sleeve coin-es in contact with this oil, which, by capillaryaction, is carried up over the top ot', and by means ot' the outer sleeve down upon, the sides ot' the tube a. Little or none of this oil will eut-er the drip-cup g, but the greater portion passes down upon the outsident' the cup and drips. upon the table or 'other piece ot" furniture upon which the lamp stands, so that not onlyis the exterior of the lamp disgnredand extremely disagreeable to handle, but the drppings will injure -the furniture upon which the lampstauds. nInthe burner shown in Fig. i'this dripping et' the 'oil is not only disagreeable', hutwill prevent` the requisite amount et air from passing tothe wick. rEhe central dratt for 'the flame is fed by air which enters zit-the point; g and .then 'passes down to the bottom ofthe case s and y up through the inner tithe, il; the drippings of oil which run down the en* a gather in the lower part c ne ease s, and gradually fill the space between the bottom ot' 'the case and the lower end et" 'the central drafttube, thus diminishiug'and iinally cutting off entirely the supply ot' air, which ot course isi fatal to the propercombus'tion of the oil.l This difficulty, however, is entirely removed by placing a trough, b, around the upper ,end ofthetube a., and by cutting in the tube a hole, c, similar to that shown in Fig. 2.V

,The trough may be of any suitableshape n"or of the tube use broadl y.

2 y amarre and construction, but should be located as near the top of the tube as possible, so as to catch the oil. before it has traveled any distance, and at the same time so as to be concealed as far 'as possible from view by the base ici' the burner. l

1 would here say that I am aware that troughs have' been used on rgand burners to catch the drippings and return them to the wick or o'rllreservoir', and I do not claim this My invention, however, is di I'ected to that hind of Argand burner in which the sleeves df ot' the removable portion of the burner fit respectively upon the exterior and interior.A of' the burner-supporting tube a, as shown, tion to these partmsovthat it shall belocatcd upon'the exterior of the tube o', at or just bclow the point to which the .lower end of the outer sleeve, d, extends when the removable part'of the burner is placed on the tube. By this means the oil which passes up between theinner sleeve,f, and the tubo, and then over the top o't the tube, and down between it and the exterior sleeve, d, (the two sleeves, in cou- .'iunction with the tube, forming, to some extent, the long and short legs ot a siphon,).is caught before can spread itseltovcr the c2:- terierot the burner; and, moreover, the trough is covered by the base of the burner, and is in a great measure concealed from View. VI y Lilie second object I. have in view -viz., to insure the proper and ready adjustment ot' the removable portieri of the burner upon the imrneraiid wick-tube--I accomplish as follows: l have alreadystated that the ordinary notched inner sleeve of the remoyable part of the burn er is 'ferr "using tube Ir, instead of having the lugs stung in the notches, and thus allowing the burner and chimney to be brought down to their proper position with respect tol the wick. The failure-to secure this proper adjustment ot' the burner is in a great meas# ure owing te the fact that the inner sleeve usually has but two or three rectangular notches cut in its lower edge, while all thc rest of the edge isv left uncut andl perfectly straight, so that it is ditlieult at any time to get the burner in its place without turning it around several times until the notches happen to come opposite to the lugs, and only then will the burner drop into position. Thisrdiflieulty I and the trough is arranged with relaobviate by forming Athe parts of the sleeve bcn tween the notches as shown in Figs. 3 and 4,

ferrcd to is entirely removed for all practical purposes. y

When a dri p-cup, m, is used with the lamp, as is the case when `the tube Il extends down and is fastened to the bottom of thalamp, I prefer to make it without a bottom, andA then close it by means of the upper end of the base in case the lamp-is glass, by \mcans of a socket-piece, o, on the top of' the lamp-base, which is inserted in and soldered to the drip-cup, so asyto close the bottom ot' the same. B v this means the height of the lamp is reduced, saving of metal is effected, and a secure and tight joint is made.

Having now described my invention and it to rest upon the top ot' the lugsk the manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Pat-ent, is

l. In an Argand lamp having the removable part of the burner providedwithv rsleeves fitting over a burner-supporting tube, as de-4 scribed, the annular trough located upon the exterior of said burner-supporting tubeat or just below the point towhich the lower part of the exterior sleeve extends when the remov-v able portion of the burner is placed on the tube, as herein shown and described.

2. The formation or" the notched wiclrrais ing sleeve ot the removable lportion of an Argand burner with inclined or bevcled'sides between the notches, substantially as and for the purposes shown and set forth.

" I In testimony whereotI have signed my name to 'this specification before two subscribing witnesses.

RUFUS S. 'MERRILL Witnesses:

M. BAILEY,

EDM. F. BROWN.

vsleeve to drop into. 

